In a recent statement, Etsy shared their updated policies placing “rigorous guidelines” and restrictions on the sale of items depicting “mature content.” The company once dedicated to supporting artists claims these updates were necessary in order to “protect our global community, and maintain our position as the destination for truly special, creative goods.”
Anyone who has used the website in recent years knows that Etsy has long since turned its back on the creative community, favoring sellers offering mass-produced junk from overseas. Now, they’re censoring the few artists who’ve managed to find success on their platform, simply because they don’t agree with what they’re selling. Part of the statement reads:
“Etsy has long had policies in place that prohibit certain mature content and provide guidance on how to appropriately list adult items. Today, we are building on this foundation, updating our standards, and introducing more rigorous guidelines.”
Policy changes include a ban on selling dildos, vibrators, anal plugs, sex dolls and masturbators. However, any “non-insertable and non-penetrable adult toys” such as fuzzy handcuffs can be sold as long as they aren’t advertised in use or in the hands of a human being.
Etsy sellers also cannot sell anything depicting photo-realistic nudity or sex acts, even if the image is blurred. So long to all of those vintage Playboy magazine listings! This policy also extends to the models advertising products, such as sheer lingerie.
These policy updates will go into effect on July 29, which hardly leaves small business owners enough time to transition to another selling platform. Many Etsy sellers are already speaking out, including Preston Stevenson and Laura Norden, who have been selling handmade dildos and other sex toys on Etsy since 2018.
“The ban will essentially close the doors of many handmade makers in the adult toy realm like ourselves,” Stevenson told The Guardian. “For small shops like ours who have spent the majority of their time on the Etsy platform, 30 days’ notice is simply not enough time to pivot either to a new shop home with the same amount of traffic or exposure or ramp up in-person sales.”
Many Etsy sellers have already jumped ship to other e-commerce platforms such as Charmskool, which specializes in fetish apparel and accessories. The company’s founder, Alexandra Houston, expressed her disappointment with Etsy’s latest move, telling The Guardian that Etsy wants creative sellers as long as what they’re selling is “beige, and middle of the road.”
“[Etsy] doesn’t want anything risqué anymore,” says Houston. “The huge crushing disappointment is that a previous ally is turning its back on this community without so much as an apology. Imagine if you have been trading on Etsy for the last 10 years … it’s like having your house burn down.”
In addition to impacting many small business owners, Etsy’s policy changes have a broader impact on society as their decision to ban adult retailers from their platform further adds to stigmas surrounding sex and pleasure.
